According to one aspect, an apparatus is configured to couple to an arrow-mounted electronic device where the apparatus includes a housing, a receptacle included in the housing and at least one electrical contact configured to couple to a contact included in the arrow-mounted electronic device. According to one embodiment, the receptacle is configured to receive at least a portion of the arrow-mounted electronic device, the at least one electrical contact includes a spring-bias in a first direction and the spring bias is opposed with the arrow-mounted electronic device inserted within the receptacle.
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17. An arrowpoint, comprising:
a conductive body; and
an electronic apparatus included in the conductive body,
wherein the conductive body is configured for use as a conductor in a communication circuit.
1. An arrowpoint, comprising:
a conductive body including a forward portion and a rearward portion; and
an electronic apparatus including a circuit board housed in the conductive body of the arrowpoint when the arrowpoint is assembled,
wherein an attachment of the forward portion to the rearward portion provides an electrical connection employed by the electronic apparatus.
4. The arrowpoint of
wherein the electrical connection is employed in a power circuit including the power source.
5. The arrowpoint of
6. The arrowpoint of
7. The arrowpoint of
8. The arrowpoint of
9. The arrowpoint of
10. The arrowpoint of
11. The arrowpoint of
12. The arrowpoint of
13. The arrowpoint of
14. The arrow point of
15. The arrowpoint of
16. The arrowpoint of
wherein the electrical connection is employed in a circuit configured to provide power to the sensor and to the processing device, and
wherein the arrowpoint is configured to match a weight of a conventional arrowpoint.
18. The arrowpoint of
19. The arrowpoint of
wherein the data includes data provided by the sensor.
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This application is a continuation of, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/982,456 entitled “APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ELECTRONIC ARCHERY DEVICES,” filed on Dec. 30, 2010 which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. s. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 61/293,504, entitled “HOUSING FOR ELECTRONIC ARCHERY APPARATUS,” filed Jan. 8, 2010, and 61/293,757, entitled “APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHOD EMPLOYING ARROW FLIGHT-DATA,” filed Jan. 11, 2010, each of the preceding are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
1. Field of Invention
Embodiments of the invention generally relate to archery equipment, more specifically at least one embodiment relates to apparatus systems and methods employing an electronic apparatus in an arrow.
2. Discussion of Related Art
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/016,019 entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ARCHERY EQUIPMENT, and Ser. No. 12/175,066 entitled APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ARCHERY EQUIPMENT, which are each incorporated by reference herein in their entirety, describe embodiments of electronic apparatus included in an arrow. In some of the embodiments described therein, the apparatus is included in an arrowtip, arrow shaft and/or nock. In addition, the preceding describe that wired or wireless communication can be used to transmit flight data to a base station.
The communication of information between an arrow-mounted device and a device external to an arrow can be accomplished by improved structure included in a communication interface. The communication interface can allow for communication of recorded flight-data from the arrow-mounted device to the device external to the arrow, and/or the communication of information such as boot code, operating software or other programs from the device external to the arrow to the arrow-mounted device. In some embodiments, the device external to the arrow includes a docking station that provides for a robust but simple to use electrical connection that can be employed in the communication interface.
According to one aspect, an apparatus is configured to couple to an arrow-mounted electronic device where the apparatus includes a housing, a receptacle included in the housing and at least one electrical contact configured to couple to a contact included in the arrow-mounted electronic device. According to one embodiment, the receptacle is configured to receive at least a portion of the arrow-mounted electronic device, the at least one electrical contact includes a spring-bias in a first direction and the spring bias is opposed with the arrow-mounted electronic device inserted within the receptacle.
According to one embodiment, the first direction is radially inward relative to a central longitudinal axis of the arrow-mounted electronic device when the electronic device is received within the receptacle. According to another embodiment, the at least one electrical contact includes a first electrical contact, the contact included in the arrow-mounted electronic device includes a first device-contact, and the apparatus includes a second electrical contact configured to couple to a second device-contact included in the arrow-mounted electronic device. According to a further embodiment, the second electrical contact is spring biased in a third direction that is substantially parallel to the first direction.
According to another aspect, the invention provides a method of making an electrical connection to an arrow-mounted electronic device, where the method includes acts of receiving at least a portion of the arrow-mounted electronic device within a housing by inserting the at least the portion of the arrow-mounted electronic device in a first direction within the housing and biasing at least one electrical contact included in the housing in a second direction to couple to a contact included in the arrow-mounted electronic device in a sliding engagement when the at least a portion of the arrow-mounted electronic device is received within the housing.
According to one embodiment, the method includes locating a receptacle in the housing to receive the at least the portion of the arrow-mounted electronic device. According to a further embodiment, the receptacle includes a mouth and the method includes determining a first distance from an exterior wall of the housing to the mouth of the receptacle as measured in a direction parallel to the second direction; and locating the mouth of the receptacle such that the first distance is greater than or equal to a second distance determined as a distance at which an end of the arrow-mounted electronic device projects from the mouth of the receptacle when the arrow-mounted electronic device is fully-received by the receptacle.
According to another aspect, an arrowtip includes a body including a cavity configured to receive at least a portion of a circuit board, a shaft attached to a proximate end of the body; and a cap configured as a distal end of the arrowtip and for removable attachment with the body. According to one embodiment, the arrowtip includes a unitary enclosed region formed when the cap is attached to the body, wherein the circuit board and a power supply are located within the unitary enclosed region.
According to a further embodiment, the arrowtip includes a power supply configured to be coupled to the circuit board, a contact configured to couple to the power supply with the arrowtip fully assembled; and a conductive resilient member configured to bias at least a portion of the power supply into engagement with the contact. In some embodiments, the arrowtip is configured such that the partial rotation of the cap moves the cap a distance in an axial direction where the distance is greater than a maximum distance by which the conductive resilient member is configured to bias the power supply.
According to yet another aspect, a configurable arrow-mounted electronic device includes electronic circuitry, a body including a proximate end and a distal end, the body configured to house at least a portion of the electronic circuitry, a shaft attached to the proximate end of the body and configured to attach to a distal end of an arrow, a first element configured as a distal end of an arrowtip, and a second element configured for attachment of an arrow point, the second element configured for removable attachment at the distal end of the body. According to one embodiment, the first element is configured for removable attachment at the distal end of the body;
According to still another aspect, the invention provides a method of employing an electronic device housing electronic circuitry in multiple configurations with an arrow where the method includes acts of attaching the electronic device at a distal end of the arrow, if the electronic device is to be configured as a field point, attaching a first element to the electronic device, the first element configured as a distal end of the field point; and if the electronic device is to be configured as an adapter, attaching a second element to the electronic device, the second element configured to receive a threaded shaft of an arrow point.
The term “arrow-mounted” as used herein refers to a device or a portion thereof that is included in an arrow when the arrow is loosed from a bow. The term “arrow-mounted” may be employed to describe any of: a device that is permanently included in the arrow, semi-permanently included in the arrow or temporarily included in the arrow. An arrow-mounted device can be included entirely in an interior region of the arrow (for example, within a hollow region of the arrow shaft), entirely external to the arrow (for example, alongside or extending from the exterior of the arrow-shaft, or include a first portion that is external to the arrow and a second portion that is internal to the arrow. Further an arrow-mounted device can be included in all or a portion of an arrow accessory such as an arrow nock or arrow point.
The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:
This invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing”, “involving”, and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.
Referring to
Referring now to
Referring now to
In accordance with some embodiments, the rim 46 is raised relative to a region 47 that is located immediately radially outward and coaxially about the rim 46. In accordance with some embodiments, the raised construction of the rim 46 is employed to receive a first contact of a battery, for example, a coin cell battery which has a region having a first polarity. For example, where the power source 34 includes one or more coin cell batteries the batteries may be disposed within the cavity 42 in a manner in which a first region of the battery housing having a first polarity faces to the rear of the electronic device 20 and a second region having a second polarity faces toward the forward end of the electronic device 20 when retained in the cavity 42. In such an embodiment, the rim 46 allows a central region of a face of a coin cell battery having the second polarity to engage the rim 46 while preventing the first region which is located on the sidewalls, rear surface, and rim of the forward portion of the battery from making contact with the region 47, or otherwise making contact with any portion of the cap 22. According to one embodiment, the coin cell battery includes a negative pole and a positive pole.
Applicants have found that an arrow-mounted electronic device is routinely subject to forces of greater than 1000 g at launch and greater than 4000 g at impact. These high forces can lead to deformation of the housing of a coin cell battery where it is pressed against the adjacent battery-contact even where a resilient battery-contact is used. According to one embodiment, the diameter of the rim 46 is sized to be great enough to provide sufficient surface area to prevent damage to the adjacent pole of the battery. According to a further embodiment, the diameter of the rim 46 is sized to maximize the surface area in which the rim 46 contacts the adjacent pole of the battery.
Referring now to
In addition, one or more slots 52 may be included in an interior side wall of the main cavity 25. In accordance with some embodiments, the slot 52 is sized and located in a side wall of the main cavity 25 so that it can receive at least a portion of the printed circuit board 32 when the printed circuit board 32 is located within the main cavity 25.
In the illustrated embodiment, the shaft 26 includes the threaded region 30, a non-threaded region 31, and a tapered portion 33. In accordance with one embodiment, the size and features of the shaft 26 conform to standards provided by the Archery Trade Association (ATA) that are employed with conforming equipment in the archery industry, for example, ATA Threaded Replacement Point System specification: ATA/ARR-204-2008. Thus, in one embodiment the threaded region 30 includes 8-32 UNC threads. In addition to the preceding, in one or more embodiments, the shaft includes a hollow region 37. In accordance with some embodiments, a communication conductor is disposed within the hollow region 37. In a further embodiment, a plurality of communication conductors are disposed within the hollow region 37. In accordance with some embodiments, the hollow region 37 is centrally located about the central longitudinal axis A. According to various, embodiments, one or more communication conductors located in the hollow region 37 are insulated, for example, to prevent contact with a conductive portion of the housing, or one another.
In a further embodiment, the electronic device 20 includes a sub-cavity 54. In accordance with some embodiments, the sub-cavity 54 is also located about the central longitudinal axis A of the electronic device 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the hollow region 37 extends from a proximate end of the electronic device 56 to the sub-cavity 54. Further the sub-cavity 54 is also connected to the main cavity 25 of the body 24. Thus, as illustrated a continuous hollow region comprising the hollow region 37, the sub-cavity 54 and the main cavity 25 is located within the electronic device 20. In one embodiment, the sub-cavity 54 is included in the shaft 26 while in an alternate embodiment, the sub-cavity 54 is included in the body 24. In yet another embodiment, a first portion of the sub-cavity 54 is included in the shaft and a second portion of the sub-cavity 54 is included in the body 24. In accordance with one embodiment, at least a portion of the wall of the second cavity 29 provides a threaded surface 58. In one embodiment, the threaded surface 58 is sized to receive and make a threaded connection with the surface 41 of the region 40 which has corresponding threads, for example, M9×1 thread. According to another embodiment, a 5/16-32 thread is used. In various embodiments, other thread sizes may be used. The diameter L of the body 24 can be established such that the diameter of the body 24 is less than or equal to the diameter of the arrow shaft with which it is used. According to other embodiments, the diameter of the body 24 (for example, the maximum diameter of the body 24) is greater than the diameter of the arrow shaft with which it is used. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the body 24 includes a beveled region 35.
Referring now to
Regardless of the selected location of the slots 52A, 52B, these slots may also be employed to prevent rotation of the printed circuit board 32 within the electronic device 20.
Further, regardless of the selected location, one or more of the slots 52A, 52B may be employed to provide a contact surface for the completion of an electrical connection between the body 24 of the electronic device and the printed circuit board 32. For example, one or more walls of the slots 52A, 52B may provide a contact surface that is sized and located to provide an electrical contact between the body 24 of the electronic device and the printed circuit board 32 when the printed circuit board is located in housing 21. For example, in some embodiments, the printed circuit board 32 includes respective contact surfaces configured for an interference fit with the slots 52A, 52B of the housing 21.
Referring again to
According to some embodiments, the housing 21 is manufactured from a conductive material, for example, copper, aluminum, brass and other conductive materials or alloys of any of the preceding. The selection of the material for the housing 21 can result from a balance of desired characteristics including weight, mechanical strength and electrical properties. In one embodiment, the housing is manufactured from 6061 aluminum. In accordance with another embodiment, the housing is manufactured from 2024 aluminum. Aluminum can be employed because it is conductive, relatively light weight and relatively durable. In general, the housing 21 is manufactured from a material that is rigid enough and has great enough strength to be repeatedly shot into an archery target within deforming. Further, the materials of the housing 21 can be selected in consideration of any weight requirements for the electronic device 20. The housing may be manufactured to provide a total weight (including printed circuit board 32, power source 34, springs, etc.) that matches a weight of a conventional archery field point, for example, 85 grains, 95 grains, 100 grains or 125 grains. Also, as described herein, in some embodiments a conductive housing is employed to provide one or more electrical connections to the power supply and/or connection of the electronic apparatus to an external communication bus.
Referring to
Applicants have found that the use of a non-resilient contact can provide for a mechanical connection suitable for the repeated high impact operation of an arrow-mounted electronic device. In addition, a non-resilient contact can reduce the depth of the contact, in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the electronic device 20, because the contact does not require any depth for travel of a portion of the contact because the contact is rigid. This can allow the overall length of the housing 21 to be reduced by a corresponding amount. Referring to
An embodiment of the contact 43 is illustrated in
Applicants have found that the relatively small form factor required of an arrow mounted electronic device can be achieved with one or more approaches used to configure the electronic device 20. For example, in accordance with one embodiment, the printed circuit board 32 is a multi layer printed circuit board. This approach can reduce the overall surface area required by the printed circuit board 32 because circuits can be routed via three or more layers instead of only the top and the bottom layers found in prior devices. In addition, devices are located (i.e., populated) on each of the top layer and the bottom layer of a circuit board that includes three or more layers. According to one embodiment, the printed circuit board 32 is a four layer printed circuit board that includes devices which are surface mounted on each of the two planar sides of printed circuit board 32. In yet a further embodiment, the printed circuit board 32 includes copper tracings on each side. According to one embodiment, the printed circuit board material is FR 4. In a further embodiment, the printed circuit board has a total thickness of between 0.7 and 0.9 mm. However, other types of circuit boards and circuit board construction can be employed in various embodiments.
In accordance with some embodiments, the printed circuit board 32 includes both passive components and active components such as integrated circuits. The passive components in various embodiments may include any of resistors, capacitors, and/or inductors. According to various embodiments, the active components may include, for example, any of processors, microcontrollers, accelerometers and/or shock sensors either alone or in combination with one another and/or other active components.
As described above, in some embodiments, the printed circuit board 32 includes contacts configured to provide an interference-fit with one or more regions of the housing 21, for example, the slots 52A, 52B. In some embodiments, the offset region 64 includes a solder pad that provides a contact on the printed circuit board such that the solder pad securely engages the interior of the corresponding slot to create an electrical connection. For example, referring to
Referring now to
Referring now to
The high forces that occur when an arrow is launched and when the arrow impacts a target can act to temporarily disconnect the electrical connection between the printed circuit board 32 and the power source included in the electronic device 20. The duration of such interruptions can vary depending upon the force of any resilient contacts employed in the device, the mass of the power source and the rate of acceleration or deceleration of the arrow in which the electronic device is employed. Although additional capacitance provided in the electronic device can act to maintain operational power during temporary interruptions, the added capacitance may not be sufficient to prevent the physical disconnection of the power source from creating unreliable operation of the electronic device. Thus, the reliability of the electronic device 20 can be improved by minimizing the movement of the power source to minimize the duration of any temporary loss of connection with the power source. According to the illustrated embodiment, the non-conductive resilient member 204 acts to limit the travel of the power source 234. In various embodiments, the power source 234 can include the non-conductive resilient member 204 located at the distal end of power source 234, the proximate end of the power source 234 or at each of the distal and proximate ends of the power source. For example, where the non-conductive resilient member 204 is located at the distal end of the power source 234, the travel of the power source is limited on impact. Conversely, where the non-conductive resilient member 204 is located at the proximate end of the power source 234, the travel of the power source is limited on launch of the arrow from the bow.
According to some embodiments, the non-conductive resilient member 204 includes an o-ring. According to other embodiments, alternate configurations of the non-conductive resilient member 204 can be employed provided that the outside diameter is suitable for inclusion in the electronic device 20 and that a region is provided to allow electrical contact to the coin cell batteries 202A, 202B. For example in one embodiment, an o-ring is employed with an electronic device 20 that includes a helical-spring style second spring contact 38. According to this embodiment, the inside diameter of the o-ring is greater than the outside diameter of the helical-style spring to allow the second spring contact 38 to fit within the o-ring and make contact with the adjacent pole of the coin cell battery. In addition, the outside diameter of the o-ring is substantially equal to the outside diameter of the coin cell batteries 202. According to one embodiment, the non-conductive resilient member 204 is manufactured from nitrile rubber, also referred to as Buna-n.
According to some embodiments, the insulating sleeve 206 encloses the radially outside surfaces of at least the coin cell batteries 202 to prevent those surfaces from contacting a conductive portion of the housing 21 when the power source 234 is included in the electronic device 20. In accordance with one embodiment, the insulating sleeve includes a heat shrink tubing to securely retain the coin cell batteries 202 while maintaining the batteries 202 in a fixed position relative to one another. In a further embodiment, the non-conductive resilient member 206 is also securely retained within the insulating sleeve 206 to maintain the non-conductive resilient member 206 in a fixed position relative to the batteries 202. According to one embodiment, the insulating sleeve 206 includes a wall thickness of 0.00100 inches, for example, as provided by ADVANCED POLYMERS Type 250100.
As used herein, the term “non-conductive” refers to a material that prevents the flow of current when employed with a power source that provides a known range of output voltage. It should be apparent, that a non-conductive material acts as an insulator with the selected power source. Accordingly, in another application, where the material is exposed to an increased voltage, the material may not act as an insulator.
In accordance with another embodiment, the travel of the power source 234 at launch or impact can be limited by the use of a compressible and resilient electrically conductive pad (also referred to as a “sponge contact”), for example, a GORE-SHIELD pad as manufactured by W.L. GORE. According to one embodiment, the compressible and resilient electrically conductive pad is soldered to the contact surface 49 of the contact 43. In some embodiments, the compressible and resilient electrically conductive pad includes a polymer-based conductor, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene blended with conductive material.
According to the embodiment, the first spring contact 36 and the second spring contact 39 can be attached to the printed circuit board 32 via various means. Referring now to
According to other embodiments, the printed circuit board 32 and electronic-device housing 21 may include additional or different features alone or in combination with the preceding. For example, referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
According to some embodiments, a gap g1 exists between an edge or a face of the circuit board 32 and the wire spring contact to allow a deflection of the wire spring contact when a load is applied. Further, in one embodiment, a gap exists between the first edge 84 of the circuit board 32 and the second wire spring contact 82, and between the second edge 85 of the circuit board 32 and the first wire spring 80.
The relatively small form factor and robust design required of an arrow-mounted electronic device generally also limit the suitability of switches or other approaches for turning power on and off to the electronic device 20. Referring now to
According to some embodiments, the preceding is achieved where a distance of the axial travel (direction A in
Referring now to
Referring now to
Further, according to the illustrated embodiment, the adapter region 260 includes an interior that provides dimensions and features conforming to standards provided by the Archery Trade Association (ATA) that are employed with conforming equipment in the archery industry. For example, the adapter region 260 can be configured to receive any arrow point that complies with the ATA Threaded Replacement Point System specification: ATA/ARR-204-2008. As a result, the electronic device 20 including the cap 222 can be attached to the distal end of an arrow. With the cap 222 attached, various style arrow points can be tested including bodkin, broadhead, blunt, Judo, field point, fish point and target heads (or field points). This functionality can be useful in using the electronic device 20 to collect flight-data for the various arrow-point configurations for comparison and evaluation. According to one embodiment, the cap 22 and the cap 222 are configured such that they can be used interchangeably with the body 24 included in the electronic device 20. Referring now to
Referring to
In addition to or in combination with the preceding, the electronic apparatus may also include power management circuitry or device 130 that can include hardware to isolate the power source 116 to prevent operation of the device and/or draining of power from the power source when the electronic device 20 is not in use. Further, the electronic device 20 can include device activation circuitry and/or devices 132 that operate to place the electronic device 20 into an active state at or prior to a release of the arrow from the bow. As illustrated, the various components may be supplied power via a power bus 134. Further, an internal communication bus 135 may be employed to allow the various devices and/or circuitry included in the electronic device 20 to communicate with one another. For example, data from the sensors may be communicated to any of the microcontroller 151, memory 118, and/or ADC 120.
According to one embodiment, the communication bus 135 includes an I2C communication bus. According to a further embodiment, the communication bus 135 is configured such that the microcontroller 151 is the master while other connected devices are slaves (for examples, memory 118, any of the plurality of sensors 122, etc.). According to another embodiment, the communication bus 135 is a serial peripheral interface bus (SPI).
In the illustrated embodiment, the base station includes a display 136, an operator interface 138, a microprocessor 140, a communication interface 142 and a power source 144. In accordance with one embodiment, the display 136 is an LCD text display while in an alternate embodiment the display 136 is a graphical LCD display. The operator interface can include one or more push buttons or keys and according to some embodiments can be included with the display 136 as a single operator interface. The microprocessor 140 in some embodiments may be included in a microcontroller.
Where hardware communication is employed, a communication bus 146 can be used provide hardware communication interface between the electronic device 20 and the base station 112. According to some embodiments, the external communication bus is a serial bus, for example, a single wire serial communication bus. Further, where a hardwired communication bus is employed the base station 112 can include a connector configured to complete an electrical connection with one or more communication pins included in the electronic device 20, for example, the communication pin 23.
In accordance with some embodiments, the base station 112 includes a first memory 148 and a second memory 150. According to one embodiment, the first memory is permanently located in the base station 112 while the second memory is a removable memory, for example, a removable flash memory such as in the micro SD format or other types of flash memory cards. Other forms of memory may be used for either of the first memory or the second memory. According to some embodiments, the first memory 148 is a flash memory while in other embodiments the first memory 148 is EEPROM memory. In yet a further embodiment, the base station 112 includes each of flash memory and EEPROM memory.
According to some embodiments, the base station 112 includes a communication interface 152 that allows the base station to communicate with an external device such as a computer or a personal digital assistant (PDA). In some embodiments, the communication interface 152 includes one or more of a USB port 152A or other hardware serial communication and one or more wireless communication interfaces 152B such as a BLUETOOTH communication interface or a Wi-Fi communication interface for communication between the base station 112 and an external device such as a computer, mobile phone, IPHONE, PDA or local display.
Further where the electronic apparatus includes a power source 116 that is rechargeable recharging circuitry may connect the electronic apparatus to the base station 112 to provide recharging of the power source 116 included in the electronic device 20. Thus, for example, connection of the electronic device 20 to the base station 112 may allow the base station 112 to provide power to recharge the power source 116 (such as batteries) included in the electronic device 20.
According to some embodiments, the external communication between the electronic device 20 and the base station 112 is wireless. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the electronic apparatus includes a wireless transmitter and the base station 112 includes a wireless receiver. Further, where bi-directional communication is desired, each of the electronic device 20 and the base station 112 can include a wireless transceiver that allows communication between the device 20 and the base station 112.
According to some embodiments, the base station 112 is provided in the form of a docking station that allows hardwire communication between the electronic device 20 and the base station 112. For example, the electronic apparatus may be plugged into or otherwise physically connected to a base station 112 which is in the form of a docking station.
Referring now to
According to some embodiments, the docking station 156 is manufactured from plastic in a form factor that allows a user to easily grip the docking station 156 with one hand on either side of the docking station while manipulating the keys of the keypad 160 to operate the docking station to display the desired information concerning flight characteristics of the arrow that the electronic device 20 was employed with. According to one embodiment, the docking station also includes a grip 163 and a pocket or recess 164. According to one embodiment, the grip 163 is provided by a plurality of grooves located along the longitudinal edges of the docking station body. In an alternate embodiment, the grip 163 is provided by a series of raised longitudinal protrusions (or ribs) that extend along the longitudinal edges of the docking station 156.
The pocket or recess 154 can be provided to allow a user to store electronic device 20 when not in use. Further, the pocket 164 can be employed to store one or more electronic devices configured as a conventional field point when removed from the arrow. Referring now to
In the illustrated embodiment, the membrane keypad includes a window 166, a plurality of data review keys 168 and a plurality of data entry keys 170. According to one embodiment, the window 166 goes over the region of the display 158 when the membrane keypad is located on the docking station. As mentioned above, the electronic device 20 can be included in an arrow for one or a plurality of flights and collect flight-data for each of the plurality of flights. According to one embodiment, the electronic device 20 is removed from the arrow following a predetermined number of flights and is then connected to the docking station 156, for example, via a connection to the docking station as illustrated in
In some embodiments, the docking station 156 provides an electrical connection 194 configured to receive one or more communication contacts included in the electronic device 20. In one embodiment, the electrical connection 194 is configured to provide an electrical connection with a communication conductor in the form illustrated here as the communication conductor 23 in
In some embodiments, the dimensions of the docking station 156 and the location of the receptacle 192 are configured to locate the electronic device 20 to recess the distal end of the electronic device 20 relative to an outer surface of the docking station 156. As illustrated in
In various embodiments, the docking station can be equipped for wired or wireless communication with another device, for example, as illustrated with reference to the base station 112 illustrated in
Referring now to
Further, as mentioned above, the receptacle 392 can be located to recess the distal end of the electronic device 20 when the electronic device is connected to the docking station. As illustrated in
According to some embodiments, the first electrical contact includes a resilient electrical contact that provides a spring bias that tends to act against pressure that is applied against it. In one embodiment, the first electrical contact 302 is formed from sheet metal which is bent back on itself. In this embodiment, the first electrical contact 302 includes a free end 318 and a fixed end 320. The resulting structure provides a contact surface 316 configured to engage a contact surface of the electronic device 20, where pressure applied perpendicular to the contact surface 316 is resisted by the spring-bias provided by the first electrical contact 302. According to one embodiment, the contact surface 316 engages an exterior surface of the electronic device 20, for example the external surface of the body 24. Other hardware configurations can be employed to provide the first electrical contact 302 provided that they apply sufficient pressure to the contact surface of the electronic device 20 to maintain a connection that can be employed in a communication interface.
According to one embodiment, the receptacle 392 includes structure in the form of ribs 308 that are employed to guide the electronic device 20 when it is slid within the receptacle 392, for example, to maintain the electronic device in a substantially central location within the receptacle 392. For example, in one embodiment, the receptacle 392 includes a central longitudinal axis A and the ribs 308 assist in maintaining a central longitudinal axis of the electronic device 20 substantially aligned with the axis A. In one embodiment, the fibs 308 include a central rib 308A and two outer ribs 308B and 308C.
According to one embodiment, the second electrical contact 304 and the spring 306 are discrete elements that are in electrical contact with one another. In another embodiment, the second electrical contact 304 and the spring 306 are provided in an integral unit. Regardless of the configuration, the contact-retaining structure 310 is employed to maintain the electrical contact 304 and the spring 306 in the proper locations within the docking station 156. For example, to maintain the second electrical contact 304 substantially centrally aligned with the axis A. In one embodiment, the first lead 312 and the second lead 314 provide an electrical connection from the first contact 302 and the second contact 304, respectively, to circuitry located elsewhere within the housing 356.
In operation, the electronic device 20 is slid within the receptacle 392 to complete the electrical connection between the docking station 156 and the electronic device 20 for the communication interface.
The full insertion of the electronic device 20 within the receptacle 20 also results in the communication conductor 23 (for example, a communication pin) being placed into contact with the second electrical contact 304. The second electrical contact 304 is pressed against the spring 306 once the communication conductor engages the contact 304. The compression of the spring 306 provides a spring bias in a direction opposite the direction in which the electronic device 20 is inserted within the receptacle 392. The result is that contact pressure is created between the proximate end of the communication contact and the surface of the second electrical contact 304. Other types of structure can be used for the second electrical contact 304 provided that they are configured to provide contact pressure on the communication conductor 23. According to other embodiments, the second electrical contact 304 includes structure that contacts the radially outer surface of the communication conductor 23, for example, about all or a portion of the circumference of the communication conductor.
According to the above embodiments, the structure of the docking station 156 and the electronic device 20 allow the use of a single wire communication interface in which an element of the housing 21 is employed as a conductor in addition to the communication conductor 23. Such an approach can result in decreasing the form factor of the electronic device 20 by minimizing the quantity of communication conductors required to transfer information (for example, download data) to/from the electronic device 20.
Further, according to various embodiments, a contact surface 322 provided by the housing 21 is located around all (for example, 360 degrees) or a portion of an outer surface of the housing 21. According to one embodiment where the contact surface 322 is provided about a full 360 degrees of the circumference of the housing 21, electrical contact is completed when the electronic device 20 is inserted within the housing 356 regardless of the rotational position of the electronic device about the axis A. According to another embodiment, the contact surface 322 is provided about less than a full 360 degrees of the circumference of the housing 21. According to this embodiment, a limited number of rotational positions of the electronic device 20 within the receptacle are available to complete the electrical connection with the docking station 156. Thus, in some embodiments, the electronic device 20 and the housing 356 can be keyed to insure that the electronic device 20 is in the correct orientation to complete the electrical connection.
Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of this invention, it is to be appreciated various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.
Donahoe, Robert V., Sabin, Paul Chandler, Vcelak, Jan, Avis, Jason Evan
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